A Stranger's Encounter
by totesbella
Summary: A look into a brief encounter between Link and Malon. Based in Ocarina of Time somewhere between adult Link completing the Fire Temple and entering the Water Temple.
1. Chapter 1

_Authors note:__ There's a lot of debate into whether Darunia died in the Fire Temple. So for this story, just presume that Link thinks Darunia is dead._

**A Stranger's Encounter**

Evening was beginning to settle in, the only light now in the form of a beautiful, deep crimson stretching across the Western skyline. Tomorrow would be another pleasant day.

As the light melted steadily behind the westward forest, the night's sky above it became a deep blue. It was a clear evening so the Gerudo Blade constellation was clearly visible. The Zora Scale constellation, which was only visible in mid-summertime, was also just coming into view from the North, shining brightly in a circular shape with three particularly bright stars in the middle representing the Zora emblem. Below it, the silhouette of Hyrule Castle could just be made out in the fizzling light left of the day.

Even though it was now getting into the late evening, a warm breeze still cut through the air, light yet refreshing. The ranch was silent all but from the occasional sound of a cow or a horse from the barn at the other side of the house. Malon stood by one of the first floor windows, resting her arm on the frame, her eyes closed as the evening breeze blew gently on her face. Her strawberry blonde hair swung gently with the breeze; it was normally straight but was beginning to curl at the ends after the warmth and stress of the day. She could hear Ingo downstairs snoring loudly. Malon had made stew for them both for supper as usual and once she had finished washing up the crockery, departed quickly to her room before the vile man could make her scrub the floor or dust the furnishings. The former farmhand used to show some sense of kindness but evil had invaded his mind, forcing Malon's father from the ranch and taking it for himself.

This left Malon alone. She wondered where her father was now; she rarely heard from him. She often thought of leaving the ranch and going to look for him but before he had left, he had made her promise not to leave. "You'll be safer here," he said. "I'll be back soon," he said. It had been a year since then and three months since his last letter. She opened her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Oh, how she missed him. She brushed the tear away. 'Must stay strong,' she thought to herself.

Suddenly she saw a figure in the last of the sunset. She squinted, forcing her eyes to adjust to the moonlight. A silhouette was jumping over the western fence of the ranch. She smiled; she knew that hat. She turned from the window and left her room quietly, careful not to wake Ingo who was snoring loudly at the kitchen table, a glass mug of hot Lon Lon Milk in his hand...


	2. Chapter 2

Malon closed the front door carefully behind her, turning the handle back into the slot with a quiet click. It was a moonlit night so Malon's eyes adjusted quickly to the light.

Seeing as the summer night was still so warm, Malon wore her cream coloured dress with blue patterning at the bottom and sleeve edges. It was dusty; the day had been extremely hot and Ingo had made Malon work as farmhand the entire day, grooming the horses, milking the cows, whilst he just sat by in the heat and did nothing. Work had solely become Malon's life in the past year and she hated it. But there was little she could do.

She unlatched the gate to the field and stepped quickly through, closing it behind her. She could see the figure walking towards her in the distance. Deciding to run, Malon felt herself smiling. As she got closer she noticed those brown, worn, leather boots. That emerald green tunic. That shining, silver sword handle. The blonde hair. Those perfect, glistening sapphire eyes...

And that hat.

"Hey ,stranger," Malon smiled as she slowed down to a walk as she approached.  
"Hey there, farmgirl," Link smiled back. They walked towards each other and Malon threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He returned the embrace, just as happy to see Malon as she was to see Link. Malon had missed Link. She'd met him over seven years ago right in this very ranch – back in happier times. Then he disappeared without trace for seven long years. Those years of pain and destruction. Castle Town became a ghost town, the royal family fled and the world fell into the hands of the worst evil imaginable. But then Link came back. Rarely and very occasionally. But he came back.

"You've been gone so long, Link," Malon said into his ear as they continued to hug, "It's been five months since I last saw you." They withdrew from their embrace and Link looked into Malon's eyes.  
"I'm sorry, Malon. I've been meaning to come sooner. I've been caught up with things." His expression was apologetic yet serious.  
"Where have you been this time?" Malon asked, sitting down on the grass. Malon knew what Link was doing, the quest he had been left to fulfil. It wasn't common knowledge to the rest of Hyrule. People had their theories and legends, but Link had trusted Malon with the true story. Link sat down next to her, propping himself up with his arms. His eyes circled towards the sky, studying the stars. He seemed reluctant to answer.  
"... Death Mountain," he said eventually. Malon was horrified.  
"Death Mountain?! That's suicide! No one but the Gorons go up there these days!" Malon stated.  
Link looked away and Malon knew something was wrong. He'd winced when she'd mentioned the Gorons.  
"What happened?" Malon asked, reaching out to touch Link's arm sympathetically. Link looked towards the ground.  
"Darunia, he... he tried to go on ahead... fight against the evil inside the fire temple..." Link looked at Malon.

"...He didn't make it."

Malon gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Link," she said, "I know you and Darunia had been friends for a long time." Almost as long as Link and Malon had been friends in fact. She could feel Link's pain. She reached her other hand across to touch Link's arm sympathetically. He winced. Malon looked puzzled but quickly caught on, pulling Link's arm from the ground and pulling off his sturdy, leather glove.  
"What _have_ you done?" she said, somewhat frustratingly. Malon had strictly directed Link that he _must_ fix up his injuries properly after the last time she'd seen him. "I will," he'd said. "I'll look after myself," he'd said. Apparently he hadn't.

Link's expression was one of worry. And too right too, Malon thought to herself. She rolled back his tunic sleeve as gently as she could (although Link still winced quietly) and moved his arm so that it was more visible in the moonlight. Link's arm was bright pink from wrist to elbow. Deep red, blotchy blisters lined his arm and blood was smothered on the cuff of his rolled up sleeve.

Malon cringed.

"Link!"she stormed, "Why didn't you fix this?" She reached for his pouch and pulled it from his hip. Opening it she found some bandages, some string and some burn ointment. Link didn't say anything, he just watched with a grin as Malon began to unravel the bandages.

She looked up at him, her expression un-amused.  
"It's not funny, Link," she said, placing the unravelled bandages on the ground and opening up the burn ointment. Link, still watching Malon, gave a little laugh. Malon scooped up a fair amount of burn ointment and slapped it onto Link's blistered arm.  
"Ah!," Link winced. Malon laughed. Link laughed too. He had always been cheeky. Even as a kid Link used to joke with Malon. Malon always succumbed to Link's jokes though and Link knew this.  
"Seriously though Link, it's not funny!" Malon laughed, trying to compose herself, "You can't leave things like this!" She gently spread burn ointment across his arm. Link nodded.  
"I know, I know," he smiled, watching Malon attend to his injury.

Malon finished applying the ointment and wrapped Link's arm tightly in the bandages using the string to secure either end.  
"There," she stated, placing the remaining bandages, string and burn ointment into Link's pouch and returning it to him. She sat back down next to him, leaning on her arms in the same way Link was sitting. They sat there in silence for a moment, taking in the sound of crows cawing overhead, the crickets alive in the fields.

Eventually, Malon spoke.  
"Where are you going next, Link?" she asked.  
"I'm heading for Zora's domain," he replied, "Thought I'd come and see you on my way as I'm just heading back from Castle Town." Malon became inquisitive.  
"What's it like there now?" she asked. Malon knew Castle Town was a ghost town but she didn't know the details.  
"The only real safe place there now is the Temple of Time. ReDeads line the streets and occasionally I get caught by one but less so now than I used to." Link had spoken to Malon of ReDeads before. They were ghastly, although fortunately Malon had never seen one. Malon knew that Link had seen worse though. She could see it in his eyes as they glistened in the moonlight. They were darker somehow than when she'd seen him five months ago – full of grief. Pain. Hurt. She worried if that by the end of all this the fairy boy she knew would even exist anymore.

Or even sur...  
No, mustn't think about the unknown.

Link smiled.  
"Don't look so concerned, farmgirl," he laughed, "ReDeads are easy!" Malon forced a smile but thinking like this got her thinking about her father. Link knew that something was wrong.  
"Malon, what's wrong?" he asked, a concerned expression on his face. Malon fiddled with the charms on her bracelet.  
"Father isn't back yet," she said solemnly. Link immediately sat up and looked towards Malon touching her arm sympathetically.  
"I've been putting the word out," he replied, "Kokiri, Goron Village, even Kakariko. I've heard whispers of a man in Kakariko after I visited there a month ago. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. I'm heading there before going to Zora's Domain." Malon looked up at Link and smiled.  
"It's a small shot," he said, "But if there's a chance it's your father, I'm going to take it." Malon knew that Link had a quest to fulfil and that he really shouldn't be giving up his time for her. But they'd been through this before and Malon knew that Link would not have it any other way.

Malon hugged Link whispering "Thank you" into his ear. He really did look out for her. In that respect, he was more like Malon's older brother than her friend.

Suddenly a bright light came from inside the farm house. Ingo was up.  
"Well, that's my cue to leave," Link laughed standing up and brushing dust off the knees of his trousers. Ingo didn't like Link. His mind had been poisoned by a great evil long ago and with that came a hatred of the chosen hero. After the past year, Malon would say that Link's feelings to Ingo were mutual.  
"I'll find him, don't worry farmgirl," Link said, pushing Malon's hair behind her ear. Without further ado, Link turned away and began to disappear into the darkness. He was good at that, going by unnoticed. Must have been something he'd picked up on his quest - more through necessity than choice.

Malon could hardly see him but she noticed his blonde hair in the moonlight as he turned back to face her.  
"Look after Epona for me, I have a feeling I'll be needing her soon," he smiled.

And then as quickly as he had appeared, his blonde hair and smiling white teeth had gone. 


End file.
